NCSO 9-1-1 Communications Officer helps deliver baby over the phone

911 dispatchers have to be calm under pressure. Even in the most extreme situations, they have to communicate clearly between the public and the public safety workers charged with their protection.

Nassau County Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Communications Officer Kimberly Miner wasn’t sure what was in store for her as she began her normal 6PM-6AM evening shift on Tuesday, August 22, 2017.

However, at approximately 12:07 AM, Wednesday morning Communications Officer Miner received a frantic 9-1-1 call from a man whose girlfriend was about to deliver a child in their Royal Inn Motel room located in Callahan. The 37 year old mother was 7 ½ months pregnant with twin boys. The panicky father was lost on knowing what to do as she started to go into labor prematurely and he and the mother could be heard screaming for help.

After Communications Officer Miner gathered pertinent information as to the couple’s whereabouts and mother’s condition, Nassau County Fire/Rescue (NCFR) was dispatched to their location. Communications Officer Miner then stayed on the phone and calmly directed the father, walking him step-by-step through what was needed in delivering the first child (Jayden) at 12:11 AM, making sure the baby was breathing while telling the father to wipe the bloody baby ‘s face and body clean with a towel. She could hear the child crying over the phone, which she knew was a good sign, before NCFR arrived and helped deliver the second child (Brayden) at 12:20 AM. The mother and both infants (weighing 4 pounds each) were transported to UF Health Hospital in Jacksonville in healthy condition.

“The real first responder to any incident is the 9-1-1 Communications Officer. They are the person picking up the phone and saying “9-1-1, where’s your emergency? Our Communications Officers become the first contact for people who are in a crisis of some kind and they do a tremendous service for our citizens every day,” said Sheriff Bill Leeper.

Communications Officer Miner, a mother of two children herself, remained professional and calm throughout the entire labor & delivery ordeal and kept assuring the father and mother that everything was going to be fine all while literally witnessing a miracle happen. “I’ve had weird calls, tragic calls and sad calls,” Miner said. But hearing a baby cry for the first time in the background was one happy call that I will never forget.”

According to Leeper, a 911 dispatcher can go their entire career and not have a call like this, where they actually stay on the phone to assist in the delivery. This delivery was successful because NCSO Communications Officer Miner and the Nassau County Fire/Rescue Department worked together on this critical call.